On January 31, 2014 we lost our Mom to Dementia and on January 26, 2015 we lost our Dad to Parkinson’s. My Mom was a nationally recognized Folk Artist and my Dad was an accomplished woodworker. Together, they made some of the most beautiful wooden art that you have ever seen. My Mom was briefly in a nursing facility and I remember how sad of a place it was. I got to know many of the residents and I was overwhelmed at how the majority of them were depressed and bored. Some of them sat in their chairs day after day with nothing to do, nowhere to go and no one to visit with. It was like they had lost their “sense of purpose”. I vowed to myself that someday I would reach out to people in their situation to try and make their lives better in any way that I could. In the last few months of my Dad’s life, I noticed him going through that same process. Even though he wasn’t in a facility (he had to leave his home and move in with a family member), he would say how bored he was and I think he was feeling that he was useless and a burden. So, one day I brought him a birdhouse kit. I asked him if he could build and paint birdhouses for me and I would turn around and sell them for our Pet Pantry. From that day on, he had a purpose. When he would wake up in the morning, he wanted to get right to the birdhouses and when I would talk to him or see him, the first thing he would do would be to tell me the progress he made on the houses. When I told him that we sold our first one he got a big smile on his face. Truth be told, I didn’t sell any.  I kept them all and they are sitting on a shelf in my home. I wouldn’t part with them for the world!!!

When my Dad passed, I thought what a cool thing these birdhouses were for him and what a great way for me to reach out to the residents of local nursing facilities. Perhaps giving them a chance to be a part of something and have a “purpose” would make a difference. I couldn’t have been more right!!! Inspired by my Mom and Dad’s love for art and to honor them and in loving memory of them, I present to you, “The House That Love Built” Collection.

Each birdhouse is hand-painted and/or assembled by a resident of a local nursing facility. The residents vary from age and physical limitations. But, all have one thing in common, the love of art and the desire to be involved and give back to the community. By purchasing a birdhouse, you are not only brightening their daily lives, but you are also supporting animals in need. Thank you so much for your support and enjoy these little houses…MADE WITH LOVE!!